5th November 2001

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Irish service firms should enhance the friendliness and expertise of their staff, rather than their service products, if they wish to become more competitive, according to University of Ulster business expert Professor Brendan Gray.

Professor Gray says the results of a major study into how to improve the competitiveness and performance of New Zealand organisations are of great significance to Irish service firms, and he will be revealing the secret behind their success at a UU seminar this week.

“The results of the New Zealand research suggest that having strong brands in tandem with skilled and motivated staff are the most important keys to success,” says Professor Gray.

“Services are people-to-people businesses. At the end of the day it’s people who make the difference between poor and exceptional firm performance.”

Professor Gray is a visiting professor at the School of International Business at the University of Ulster’s Magee campus and Director of the Marketing Performance Centre at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.

He will present a free 1-hour seminar on how to improve service firm competitiveness at 5.15pm on Tuesday the 6th of November at the International Business Centre, Magee.

Commenting on the need for improved service competitiveness in the north-west, Professor Dolores O Reilly, Director of the International Business Centre said:

“This seminar provides a unique opportunity for local firms to profit from experience in New Zealand and to boost their presence in the market place as a result”.

The seminar is just one of many export awareness seminars that will take place at the International Business Centre over the next year.

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk